


Snowed In

by chacusha



Category: Bravely Default (Video Game) & Related Fandoms
Genre: Alternis and Edea having mature grown-up conversations (astoundingly), Bravely Third speculative fic, F/M, Fluff, Love Confessions, One-Sided Attraction, Snowed In, no i will not, will I ever stop posting fluffy one-sided Altdea one-shots?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-21
Updated: 2019-02-21
Packaged: 2019-11-01 20:49:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17874617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chacusha/pseuds/chacusha
Summary: Set post-Bravely Second, Edea and Alternis have set off on a mission to find something that will help Edea find Ringabel (IDK, it's vague). They end up snowed in for the night and things are awkward.





	Snowed In

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for a prompt over at [ushobwri](https://ushobwri.dreamwidth.org/) @ DW to write snowed-in fic. I had to write it for Altdea, although this ended up way more platonic than you might expect for snowed in fic (probably because I'm writing from Edea's POV lol).

They hadn't reached their destination yet, but the old man warned them that they should take shelter for the night. "The temperature's dropping quick, and a blizzard is coming in." Most of the other houses in Gravemark Village were long-abandoned and run-down, so the man said they were welcome to stay with him. He had maintained one house in the village as a kind of winter weather refuge and came by every so often to keep it in working condition. It was a small two-story house, with the first floor consisting mainly of a single sitting room with a large fireplace for cooking and the second floor consisting of two bedrooms.

The first bedroom was the one the old man used, and the second bedroom was less used and less maintained, covered with a layer of dust and cobwebs. When Edea and Alternis saw that there was only a small single-sized bed they both simultaneously said they would just sleep downstairs.

"Are you sure? I could sleep downstairs and you two could use the bedrooms." Alternis wouldn't hear of an old man sleeping in a chair or on the ground, however, and strenuously declined his offer. "It's probably best not to use the second bedroom in any case," the old man admitted. "Aside from being dusty, it can get drafty and the fireplace is small. Sleeping next to the fireplace downstairs will be the most comfortable, as long as you have something soft to sleep on."

Taking his advice, Edea went about gathering blankets (the man had a stockpile), while Alternis went to gather enough firewood for the night from the stacks outside the cottage. The old man offered to share some small game he'd caught for dinner. Thanking the old man, Alternis skinned and roasted the meat and the three of them ate dinner together around the fireplace. After dinner, the old man retired for the night, telling the other two to stay warm.

"I'm beat too," Edea said, removing her heavy templar armor piece by piece. When she was done and had started laying out layers of blankets, she turned to Alternis, who was still sitting by the fire, picking idly at the bones of the bird he'd eaten. She opened her mouth to speak, thought better of it, and continued with arranging the blankets before climbing into the makeshift sleeping bag she had created. Alternis hadn't budged from his spot by the fireplace. "Aren't you going to go to sleep?" she asked.

"Not yet."

Edea asked more pointedly, "Aren't you uncomfortable in that armor?"

"I -- Not at all, I am quite used to wearing this armor. It is like a second skin."

Edea stared at him for a moment. Perhaps she should have foreseen this issue earlier. She took a deep sigh and said something she did not like to admit out loud. "You know I know what you look like under your armor," she said. "No need to sleep in it out of a concern that it's going to be awkward for me."

"I... Very well, but... it's not just that."

There was a silence. Edea marveled at the way that Alternis could be so painfully self-conscious. The amount of bashfulness he felt at being seen without his armor was similar to the amount of bashfulness most people felt at being seen naked. "So," she said, "would you prefer to sleep in the room upstairs? It's more private. Or if you like, I can turn around and shut my eyes."

He let out a deep sigh. "That's not necessary." Slowly he stood up and, turning away from Edea, removed his helmet. Even though she couldn't see his face, her heart involuntarily jumped in recognition at the color and style of his hair, his silhouette.

She rolled over onto her back and closed her eyes. The soft sounds of belts being unbuckled, strings being untied, and pieces of metal being laid gently on the floor drifted into her ears, followed by the sounds of blankets being dragged and arranged. Then it was quiet, just the sounds of logs crackling and the wind outside, crescendoing and then going quiet in turns. A storm might be raging outside, but the inside of the cabin was warm enough and calm, reminding Edea of the days she spent as a child in the halls of Eternian Central Command -- and, ironically, sleepovers from long ago with Alternis.

"Alternis," she said quietly. "Why are you helping me on this... this... wild goose chase?" Sometimes she felt stupid about what she was doing, out of her depth. What did she know about spaceships and interdimensional travel? But she smiled inwardly at the thought of how Ringabel would react to being called the "wild goose" in this situation.

"It is my duty, as a member of the Council of Six and one who has sworn to realize the --"

"Ugh, stop!" It was the second time Alternis had given her an evasive answer that night, one that obviously rung false. And this behavior wasn't new: he'd been deferent and obliging -- and had not given her a single straight answer -- ever since she'd become grand marshal. Edea turned to face the dark knight, her brow furrowing in irritation. Alternis was also lying on his back, looking up at the ceiling, but at her outburst, his eyes slid to the side to glance at her. His eyes were wide -- nervous. Even weirder than seeing Ringabel's face was seeing Alternis emoting. She didn't like it. "You _know_ you don't have to do this. It's not part of your duties or anything else. You know the interests of Eternia would be best served if you held down the fort in Central Command. So why?"

Alternis's eyes slid back to look at the ceiling again. "Because I support you, and I want you to succeed in what you want to do. You may still be finding your footing as grand marshal, but it's your turn to shine. And you will. I always gave my full support to your father, even when I disagreed with him, and I will not give you anything less."

Edea stared at him in silence, watching as the red light from the fire flickered across his face. This, she could tell, was an honest answer. Edea had always assumed his newfound stiffness and formality had been an expression of some Ringabel- or proposal-related awkwardness between them. It hadn't occurred to her that Alternis was merely settling into the older, more familiar dynamic he had had with her father. As a result, it also hadn't occurred to her that the awkwardness between them may have been entirely on _her_ side. Her experiences during her last adventure had certainly thrown her for a loop. Having interacted with Ringabel when she thought he was Alternis... realizing that Ringabel hadn't left her, after she'd been slowly losing hope of ever seeing him again, when she hadn't even been able to admit to herself she been holding out hope at all... processing all of that had been a whirlwind, and it had been impossible for her feelings for Alternis to not be thrown into a tailspin during that time as well.

"Are you okay with this, then -- helping me find Ringabel? I just don't want to cause you pain... or for you to be in pain and cover it up for my sake."

Alternis shifted under his blankets to look at her. "Edea, I still have feelings for you," he blurted out suddenly. This was immediately followed by a string of curses under his breath and a muttered, "This is why I didn't want to --" He took a deep breath and tried again. "What I mean to say is, it makes me happy to see you happy. It's always been that way, and it always will. Even if you don't return my feelings" -- at this, Alternis receded a bit into his pile of blankets like a turtle hiding in its shell -- "it doesn't cause me pain to see you chasing after the things you want. Quite the opposite, really."

Alternis looked different than he had as a child, but something about his shyness and his being wrapped up in blankets made him look more like the boy she'd grown up with and less like Ringabel at the moment. She wanted to reach out to grab his hand -- but she wasn't ready for that yet, wasn't yet sure that the gesture wouldn't be misinterpreted. But maybe one day they'd reach that point. For now, it was reassuring enough just to know that she wasn't causing Alternis pain or pressuring him to do something he didn't want to do. Edea smiled at him. The heat from the fire pressed against her skin, and she felt drowsy. Her eyes closed and she soon drifted off to sleep.

The two of them slept soundly as the snow continued to fall outside, forming smooth, grey piles in the darkness of the night.


End file.
